INTERVIEW: CIANCIARULO’S RACING LIFE

Adam Cianciarulo, the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross 250cc Championship winner who retired in 2024, was recently spotted out at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. Present for the media launch of the 2026 Kawasaki KX250, Cianciarulo, who has enjoyed a collective 20-year relationship with Monster Energy Team Green, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and the Monster Energy Kawasaki factory team, was out to post up laps on the new KX250, as well as to personally create some on-bike POV content for the curtain dropping SuperMotocross World Championship round set for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Totally stoked to be out riding and clicking off laps on the new Kawasaki around a world class Supercross test track, Cianciarulo was in good spirits and taking in everything that was going on around him.

“During Supercross, Feld Entertainment decided that it would be cool if I could do a track preview on Friday,” explained Cianciarulo of his midweek research and development session in San Bernardino, California. “So we go and we put the helmet camera on and made some good content for Race Day Live and our show and of course the main broadcast on Peacock. 

“Yeah, this all came about for me to do the track preview in Las Vegas. It was up to me. Eric, I really haven’t ridden much. I’ve only ridden two times this year. So I was talking to Kawasaki and my guys Oscar Wirdeman and Dan Fahie and we were able to put something together where we got out to the test track. We just wanted to make sure that I could still do the jumps and everything. You lose your timing and all that stuff pretty fast, so I’m grateful to Kawasaki for letting me put some Supercross suspension on my bike and, man, I had a blast. It took me a while. It took me a while to feel comfortable, but by the end of the day I was having SO much fun.

“You know Eric, I was the type that when I stopped racing, I did NOT dislike dirt bikes or not like riding,” continued Cianciarulo, who first stormed out of Port Orange, Florida as a minicycle sensation. “There has been times it has been a struggle on the results-side of things and that can kind of take the fun away from riding a little bit, but for the most part, I’ve always had fun on my dirt bike. I mean it’s what I love to do.

“I really haven’t ridden that much since May 2024 when I stopped racing. The reason being is that I just had multiple things on my body that just really hurt me for a long time. And just talking with my doctors and everybody, they just kind of recommended that I take as much time off as I could. Right now I’m getting to the point where the body is starting to come around a little bit. My hand and my whole nerve injury, which was a big reason why I retired is starting to feel a little better. My knees are feeling better. So all that makes me motivated to ride.”

Adam Cianciarulo’s next mission will take him to the 2025 Boost Mobile AUSX Supercross Championship round slated for October 25, 2025 at Sharks Stadium in Cronulla, Sydney, Australia. 

“That of course leads to Australia, which I’m very excited about,” pointed out Cianciarulo, who will be present Down Under to do TV commentary work, put in exhibition laps and do meet and greet work. “I’m actually going to Australia for a month, believe it or not. Mostly I’m just doing broadcasting stuff for the races over there. You know it’s kind of a thing where I’m just trying to contribute to that AUSX Supercross Championship and the AUSX Open. It’s something that I always wanted to do in my career and it just never really worked out. So yeah, I’m actually going to go over there and we have our first event on October 25 in Sydney and then the we have the AUSX Supercross Championship, which is in Melbourne on November 22. I’m going to go over there with my girlfriend. We’re going to have a nice little vacation. And yeah, I’m going to do some riding too. No racing, though! No racing!”

Cianciarulo continued on and provided his take on what has been the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship and its overall effect on the sport as a whole. 

“Well, I think the Playoffs with the single points and the double points and triple points is very interesting. Of course the goal is to see who is the best in general at the end of the year. And it’s also to create a lot of excitement. I think from a fan’s perspective, this is best case scenario. Hunter and Jett Lawrence fighting for a championship in the premier class is awesome. I mean to have two brothers fighting for this championship in a winner-take-all scenario, you couldn’t get a better storyline if you tried. I have a lot of admiration for both of those guys. And also, Eli Tomac has just been riding so good. It’s good to see him on the podium and he was right in it too.

“In the 450 class, man, it’s going to be one for the books. In the 250s, obviously Haiden Deegan is trying to close out his 250 career on top and he’s just been unbelievable. I mean one of the best 250 careers I think we’ve ever seen. Truly. He talks big talk, but he backs it up almost every time. And of course with him getting into Levi Kitchen last weekend. Yeah, that was crazy and that’s going to put him in a spot now where he might have to, how should I say? He might have to get a little creative if he wants to win the championship with Jo Shimoda riding so well.

“I think, man, both classes coming down to the last race in a pretty much winner-take-all scenario, I love these Playoffs for that reason. I really do. The tracks are fast. The racing is really intense. It’s really close. I’m really excited for it. I’ve got the best seat in the house to watch.”

And Cianciarulo has also had an excellent seat when it has come to his developing broadcast television career.

“Well, I’ll take you back,” started Cianciarulo, providing background on the trajectory of his TV work. “So when I was going to be done racing, going into broadcasting, I was ready. Broadcasting SuperMotocross racing, that was a dream from the time when I was listening to David Bailey and Art Eckman back in the day. I always knew that I wanted to do that when I was done racing, so for me it was a lot easier to call it a career and move on because I knew I was going into something else. I was very intentional when I stopped racing to get my foot in the door. I’ve been very blessed and I am thankful for the opportunity from FELD to co-host Race Day Live with Justin Brayton. So that was really my main focus when I got done racing. I wanted to get my foot in the door. I did that. We got through Supercross this year. I had a ton of fun.”

“And this summer, I really wanted to slow down. It was super busy. I was running around and doing a bunch of stuff. I hadn’t really stopped and kind of smelled the roses. This summer that’s what it was about. I think it can be easy when you have something that you look forward to. I think it’s a little bit easier to be completely content with yourself. It almost provides a distraction in a way from some things that bother you mentally.”

“With all of this stuff, your life completely changes. I think for a while, and because I was so aware of it, I almost assumed I had it all taken care of, if that makes sense. Some things can slide under the radar. That’s kind of what I meant this summer about not wanting to distract myself with anything. I was kind of building a new identity from the ground up. Don’t get me wrong. I mean life has been great since I stopped racing, but just in general, I’m always trying to be the best I can be. Yeah, this gave me ample time to do that.”

Having devoted most of his young life to the sport of motocross and now moving pel-mel into his future, when Adam Cianciarul takes a look back over his shoulder, just what does he think about the body of work he created as a world class racer?

“I’m very proud of what I was able to accomplish in the sport,” declared Cianciarulo. “Even when I watch these guys now on the weekends doing the job I’m doing, you don’t really realize what you’re doing in the moment because it’s just life and you’re focused on getting the results for yourself, for your supporters. That’s the driving force. But you don’t really have time to take a look around and be like, ‘Man, this is pretty cool. I’m pretty cool that I can do this. I’m a bad dude, you know?’ I really loved it. I really did. I think that if I didn’t truly love the sport organically, I think I would have quit or I would have retired a long time ago.”

“Looking back, I mean I see things. There were a lot of missed opportunities and there were a lot of injuries, but I think that genuine love that I have for the sport and for riding, it carried me through. It carried me through the difficult times. I think I’m in a place now mentally where I can look back. I mean I’m human. The biggest thing for me was that there were times in my 250cc career where I know I didn’t realize how good I was at the time. That teaches me a lesson for where I am at in my life now. That’s just to believe in myself to be confident in my abilities. Of course I have had plenty of time to look back and kind of dissect everything.”

“At  the end of the day in my career, it was all about doing my best with whatever it was. And there was times when I did the wrong thing or I made the wrong decision, but it always meant he world to me. I never made any mistake out of laziness or lack of effort. In general, there are a lot of pieces that come with that. Unless you’re one of these freaks like Ricky Carmicahel or Ryan Villopoto or Ryan Dungey or James Stewart or Jeremy McGrath, almost everybody is going to look back and be like, ‘Oh, I could have done more! I want more!’ I don’t think that I ever really showed my complete potential. You have to stay healthy for an extended period of time to do that. Because I truly did my best, I think that’s what allows me to look back on my career in a clear way and be happy with my body of work because, for right or wrong, I did the best I could. That’s all anybody can do in life.”

“There are things that we can control and there are things that we can’t control. All you can do is keep showing up and doing your absolute best. And I did that. And I am blessed beyond belief. I really am. I think if there is anything I am struggling with in this moment, it is feeling like I deserve the life I’ve created for myself, you know? After scratching and clawing for every square inch, like you have to do in any sport, and especially in our sport, when that fighting is over with and everything is calm and you can wake up in the morning and just go about your business, it takes some time to get used to peace. It takes some time to get used to the quiet. If anything, that’s what I’m working on right now. It’s like, ‘Dude, you did this. You earned this. It’s okay to let yourself relax.’ I also think it’s a choice,” continued Cianciarulo. “It’s a choice to smile through it all because everybody has got problems.”

So how has Adam Cianciarulo been looking and dealing with life now after the motorcycles and race circuits have quieted down a bit for the young man out who first stormed out of Port Orange, Florida?

“I don’t want to paint it like everything has just been perfect and I’ve been just unbelievably happy. I’m very at peace and happy with my life, but for sure it has been hard. It’s hard for everybody. It just comes with the territory. And I knew that. I knew it was going to be a big adjustment. I mean you spend your whole life going after something and everybody revolves around you. It’s about you and how you’re doing and how you’re feeling and how you’re sleeping and how your energy level is. And to be honest, I thought I would miss the spotlight more. I think that I thought I would miss the spotlight more. Now I can show up for the people who care about me. That’s a really nice feeling.”